Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1887-03-18
FAY0RlTE NUMBERS
| -Twelve-Thirteen- Three Hundred and
Sixty

The reason why ten is favorite-
perhaps the most favorite-number is
obvious enough-namely that we have
ten fingers. When we begin to count we
almost of necessity do so with our fingers
we have a large number of things to
count, say a flock of sheep, we instinct
lively divide them into tens or perhaps
into scores; if the number of things is
very large the collection of tens are nat
urally grouped again by tens, and so we
have hundreds, A further grouping of
hundreds leads to thousands and SO forth.
Thus we get the ordinary system of num-
Grating and there can be no manner of
doubt that mans ten fingers are the root
of 1t. We are told in treatises on arith-
metic that 1t would have been much more
convenient If we had agreed to count by
twelves instead of by tens, and possibly
this may have been true. But if it be.
we have so much the more evidence, if
evidence be needed that the basis of the
system of counting was not obtained by.
theoretical considerations, but by the
simple elementary fact of the numoer of
human digits being ten not twelve. Never
theless twelve has its turns as the favor
lite number; We often count by dozens
and the reason probably is that twelve
admits being quartered as well as halved,
which IN many cases Is an advantage.
lake the case of wine: 4 dozen bottles
Is convenient quantity to take as
standard because a customer can order
half the standard number, or if he needs
| small quantity; the quarter of the same
in fact, twelve admits of being divided
not only by two and four, hut also by
three and six, which, for many purposes
gives it great advantage over ten, which
can only be divided by two and five, the
latter division being rarely of any use;
hence the great divisibiNty of twelve Is
| sufficient to mark it as favorite; but in
the most notable instance OF its use
namely as making the number of months
IN year, we need some further explana-
| ton. The real month-that is, the
number of days between two successive
full moOns-may be taken as measured
by twenty eight days. Thirteen times
twenty eight makee 164, or as nearly as
| may be one year. Consequently it would
have been much more nearly true to say
! that thirteen months make year than
twelve. The explanation is to be found
L conceive, in the extremely awkward
character of the number thirteen it is
what is called by mathemeticiaus prime
division of any kind; had there been
| thirteen months in the year the half
aear and the quarter alike could not have
been reckoned by months and conse-
quently twelve, which as already explain
ed, is one of the most convenient of
numbers in the matter of divisibllity,
was encouraged and permitted to usurp
| the place which in al strictness belonged
| tn nnxt Innr nairhhnr
somewhat parallel case with regard to
the division of the circle into $50 degrees
| The ancient Chinese mathematicians
| divided the circle into $685. DAYS, which
number though not exact, is very near
| the truth. But this division of the circle
is practically intolsrabIe; it would throw
mathemeticians into despaia; conse-
quently the number $50 which admits of
being divided by four, by sixty, by thirty
| andby other numbers, usurped the place
which the Chinese righteously assigned
to the awkward number which nature
suggested.